Dip tube under false bottom

[jtp137]

Trying to design my new mash tun. I will have false bottom that is 2 inches off the floor. I am going to put valve and pickup tube under it. Question does it matter where the pickup is? Should it be as close to center of kettle as possible or does it matter with a false bottom

 

[day_trippr]

If it's a flat bottom kettle I don't think it matters at all where the pick-up draws.
My 20g G1 Boilermaker with the Blichmann FB has the pick-up a couple of inches in from the side wall and it works just fine...

Cheers!

 

[mabrungard]

Whirlpooling ends up depositing most of your trub in the center of the kettle. Therefore, your wort drain should be at the periphery of your kettle.

I use a simple strip of sheet aluminum that I pop-riveted to form a ring that is a little smaller than the kettle diameter. That ring helps keep the trub in the center and my drain pickup is placed in the space between the ring and the kettle side. My strip is about an inch tall and it just sits on the kettle floor. It does a decent job of containing the trub and keeping the drain clear.

 

[Ki-ri-n]

Not sure if it really matters or not.

For a mash tun it may make a difference as to how well your false bottom fits to your vessel's side wall. On my keggle, it was a little dented and didn't fit as tight as I wanted to the side wall. Having the pickup near this "leaky" joint, might induce some channeling. Others always had it in the center, so I just followed suit.

 

[passedpawn]

Cut the end of the dip tube at a 45° slant so it doesn't get closed off when it hits the bottom.

 

[mabrungard]

Oops! I see that you were talking about a kettle as your mash tun. Never mind my comments.